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Try the Lager that changed American craft beer.
It was cool when your dad rocked it, and now it's back in style. Classic Sam gear is available for a limited-time.
Sam Adams' story can’t be told without Boston Lager. Our Brewer/Founder Jim Koch discovered his great-grandfather's 19th century beer recipe in his parents' attic. The rest, as they say, was revolutionary. Boston Lager introduced the American beer drinker to a world of complex flavor that rivaled European imports of the time. The rich, full-bodied Bohemian Pilsner forever changed the what American beer could taste like forever. Today, pints of Boston Lager are found in bars, restaurants, fridges, and coolers across the country. And Jim personally tastes each batch to meet quality standards.
Just six weeks after Boston Lager first arrived in small bars and restaurants in Boston, Jim’s recipe was voted "The Best Beer in America" at the 1985 Great American Beer Festival. The award catapults Samuel Adams into the spotlight and grabs the attention of beer fans nationwide. The beer would grow to be synonymous with excellence as the awards kept coming.
With Triple Bock in 1993, our brewers pioneered the "Extreme Beer" category. Game-changing barrel-aging and blending pushed beer ABVs to previously unheard-of heights while maintaining taste above all else. This creative exploration led to Utopias in 2002. This uncarbonated blend of barrel-aged beers becomes the new standard for the upper limits of beer, and Utopias continues to explore the lunatic fringe of brewing at nearly 30% abv.
To complement Boston Lager, we began to create recipes to reflect the unique tastes and character of the seasons. First up was Sam Adams Octoberfest, a classic German märzen-style beer that quickly rises to prominence as the only American beer served at Munich’s yearly Oktoberfest celebration. Beers like Winter Lager, Cranberry Lambic, and Sam Summer Ale quickly follow by popular demand. The success of seasonal beers paves the way for brewers nationwide to innovate.
Jim said he'd never make a non-alc, because they taste like...well, we don't want to say the word he used. But after years of work, we've created non-alcoholic beers with all the flavor beer lovers deserve. Our non-alc beers win awards for taste all over the world, fool experts, and prove that flavor matters, with or without the alcohol.